Concerted Ring Opening and Cycloaddition of Chiral Epoxy Enolsilanes with Dienes

Silyl‐triflate‐catalyzed (4+3) cycloadditions of epoxy enolsilanes with dienes provide a mild and chemoselective synthetic route to seven‐membered carbocycles. Epoxy enolsilanes containing a terminal enolsilane and a single stereocenter undergo cycloaddition with almost complete conservation of enantiomeric purity, a finding that argues against the involvement of oxyallyl cation intermediates which have been previously proposed for these types of reactions. Reported are theoretical and experimental investigations of the cycloaddition mechanism. The major enantiomers of the cycloadducts are derived from S_N2‐like reactions of the silylated epoxide with the diene, in which stereospecific ring opening and formation of the two new C? C bonds occur in a single step. Calculations predict, and experiments confirm, that the observed small losses of enantiomeric purity are traced to a triflate‐mediated double S_N2 cycloaddition pathway.     

Formation of Aminocyclopentadienes from Silyldihydropyridines: Ring Contractions Driven by Anion Stabilization

Highly functionalized aminocyclopentadienes can be formed through the rearrangement of anions generated from readily prepared 6‐silyl‐1,2‐dihydropyridines by desilylation with fluoride. The scope and generality of the reaction was defined, and diverse transformations were performed on the highly functionalized products. A mechanism and driving force for the rearrangement were identified from experiments and DFT calculations.     

Insight into the Mechanism of Hydrogenation of Amino Acids to Amino Alcohols Catalyzed by a Heterogeneous MoOx‐Modified Rh Catalyst

Hydrogenation of amino acids to amino alcohols is a promising utilization of natural amino acids. We found that MoO_x‐modified Rh/SiO₂ (Rh–MoO_x/SiO₂) is an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the reaction at low temperature (323 K) and the addition of a small amount of MoO_x drastically increases the activity and selectivity. Here, we report the catalytic potential of Rh–MoO_x/SiO₂ and the results of kinetic and spectroscopic studies to elucidate the reaction mechanism of Rh–MoO_x/SiO₂ catalyzed hydrogenation of amino acids to amino alcohols. Rh–MoO_x/SiO₂ is superior to previously reported catalysts in terms of activity and substrate scope. This reaction proceeds by direct formation of an aldehyde intermediate from the carboxylic acid moiety, which is different from the reported reaction mechanism. This mechanism can be attributed to the reactive hydride species and substrate adsorption caused by MoO_x modification of Rh metal, which results in high activity, selectivity, and enantioselectivity.     

非对称环氧乙烷的区域选择性亲核开环反应

本文总结了常用亲核试剂对非对称环氧乙烷的亲核开环反应及其区域选择性。强亲核性的亲核试剂通常只受空间效应影响,进攻非对称环氧乙烷位阻小的碳原子,对于烯基取代环氧乙烷还可以进攻烯基的β-碳原子发生S_N2'开环反应,其他亲核试剂同时受空间效应和电子效应的影响,对于烷基环氧乙烷通常进攻其取代少的碳原子, 空间效应起主导作用,而对芳基和烯基取代环氧乙烷开环反应通常发生在环氧乙烷芳甲位和烯丙位的碳原子上, 电子效应起主导作用。在质子酸或强Lewis酸存在下,虽然单烷基环氧乙烷的开环仍然发生在其取代少的碳原子上,但对于芳基、烯基和同碳双取代环氧乙烷,亲核开环反应将主要受电子效应控制,一般亲核试剂倾向于进攻环氧乙烷的芳甲位、烯丙位或多取代的碳原子。分子内的亲核开环反应主要受成环时环大小的控制, 成环时的倾向是五元环> 六元环> 七元环。环氧乙烷亲核开环的区域选择性是环氧乙烷和亲核试剂空间效应和电子效应平衡的结果。     

非对称环硫乙烷的区域选择性亲核开环反应

环硫乙烷与它的氧类似物环氧乙烷和氮类似物氮杂环丙烷一样,是一类重要的有机合成中间体,在医药和农用化学品工业领域也得到广泛应用。通过开环和异构化反应,还广泛用于制备硫醇和硫醚等含硫化合物。本文总结了常用亲核试剂对非对称环硫乙烷的亲核开环反应及其区域选择性。环硫乙烷的亲核开环反应通常只受空间效应影响,亲核试剂进攻非对称环硫乙烷位阻小的碳原子,对于烯基取代的环硫乙烷有时可以进攻烯基的β碳原子发生SN2’开环反应。强亲核性的亲核试剂容易致使环硫乙烷脱硫生成烯烃,而亲核性相对较弱的亲核试剂容易发生多聚反应生成多硫醚。在Lewis酸存在下,电子效应会对开环反应的区域选择性产生影响,甚至起主导作用。虽然烷基取代环硫乙烷在Lewis酸存在下的开环仍然主要发生在其取代基少的碳原子上(位阻控制),但受电子效应影响,芳基和烯基取代环硫乙烷的亲核开环,其亲核试剂一般倾向于进攻环硫乙烷的芳甲位和烯丙位碳原子(电子效应控制)。     

Catalytic,Enantioselective Ring Opening of Aziridines

Cooperative metal centers in a bimetallic catalyst facilitate the highly enantioselective ring opening of meso aziridines 1 with silyl nucleophiles (see scheme; TMS=trimethylsilyl). The 1,2‐azidoamides 2 and 1,2‐amidonitriles 3 obtained in this way in high yields and with up to 99 % ee are valuable precursors to enantiomerically pure 1,2‐diamines and β‐amino acids.

     

A Novel Multistep Mechanism for the Stereocontrolled Ring Opening of Hindered Sulfamidates: Mild,Green, and Efficient Reactivity with Alcohols

Cyclic hindered sulfamidates exhibited an outstanding performance in their ring‐opening reactions with alcohols and in the absence of any external activator. The mechanism of this unprecedented transformation was thoroughly studied both experimentally and theoretically. As a result, a nontrivial stepwise pathway involving solvent‐induced conversion of the sulfamidates to activated aziridinium and then to oxazolinium cations, which are finally opened at their 5‐position with inversion of configuration, is proposed. The presence of the SO₃ moiety in the sulfamidate was revealed as a “built‐in activator”. In fact, the spontaneous SO₃ cleavage takes place under the reaction conditions and avoids the subsequent step of hydrolysis after the ring opening of the sulfamidates. This is another important improvement of this methodology with respect to the standard basic conditions, allowing a greater compatibility with other functional groups. Furthermore, the carbamate group plays a key role in this mechanism. Briefly, a highly chemoselective and stereoespecific formal solvolysis of hindered sulfamidates with alcohols without further activation is described. This reaction takes place exclusively at the quaternary center with inversion of configuration, providing a new straightforward synthetic route to O‐substituted α‐methylisoserines.     

过渡金属不对称催化氧杂苯并降冰片烯开环反应的研究进展

综述了近年来过渡金属不对称催化氧杂苯并降冰片烯开环反应的研究进展, 包括钯催化、镍催化、铜催化和铑催化四部分内容, 并对部分反应的机理进行了介绍.     

Synthesis of Benzodiazepines Through Ring Opening/Ring Closure of Benzimidazole Salts

Pyrido-benzodiazepine derivatives are undoubtedly one of the most important structural motifs in the marketed drugs and the drug candidates. Commonly synthetic methods for construction of the benzodiazepine ring derivatives are based on the condensation reactions of two highly functionalized synthons. The development of synthesis for these compounds, however, is hampered by the regioselectivity and atom economy. In this work, a one-step synthesis of pyrido-benzodiazepine backbones and its analogues is achieved through continuous ring-opening hydrolysis of benzimidazole salts and intramolecular C−H bond activation. The reaction mechanism is explored by control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.     

非对称氮杂环丙烷的亲核开环反应及其区域选择性

本文系统地总结了各类亲核试剂对非对称氮杂环丙烷(吖丙啶)的亲核开环反应及开环的区域选择性.氮杂环丙烷亲核开环的区域选择性是一种空间效应和电子效应平衡的结果,非芳基和非烯基取代的氮杂环丙烷的亲核开环通常发生在氮杂环丙烷取代少的碳原子上,空间效应起主导作用;而芳基和烯基取代的氮杂环丙烷的亲核开环通常发生在氮杂环丙烷芳甲位和烯丙位的碳原子上,电子效应起主导作用,烯基取代的氮杂环丙烷的亲核开环还可以发生在烯基的β-碳原子上;分子内的亲核开环反应主要受成环时环大小的控制,成环时的倾向是五元环>六元环>七元环.对于亲核试剂,一般的亲核试剂也同时受电子效应和空间效应的影响; 而亲核性强的亲核试剂通常只受空间效应的影响.容易生成稳定自由基的亲核试剂容易发生单电子转移机理的开环反应,生成相当于亲核试剂进攻氮杂环丙烷中取代多的碳原子得到的开环产物.     

1,2,3‐Diazaborinine: A BN Analogue of Pyridine Obtained by Ring Expansion of a Borole with an Organic Azide

A new pathway for the ring expansion reaction of antiaromatic boroles with organic azides is reported. While the reaction usually leads to 1,2‐azaborinines, it was diverted to the formation of a 1,2,3‐diazaborinine by changing the electronic characteristics of the reagents. The isolable azo‐azaborinine intermediate initially formed from the reaction of 1‐(2,3,4,5‐tetraphenylborolyl)ferrocene with 4‐azido‐N,N‐dimethylaniline gradually decomposed to a 1,2,3‐diazaborinine and benzonitrile. Both the spectroscopic properties and the reactivity of the heteroaromatic compound show analogies to pyridine, to which it is isoelectronic. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided insight into the mechanism of this unusual transformation.     

Ring Enlargement of Three-Membered Heterocycles by Treatment with In Situ Formed Tricyanomethane

Although the chemistry of elusive tricyanomethane (cyanoform) has been studied during a period of more than 150 years, this compound has very rarely been utilized in the synthesis or modification of heterocycles. Three-membered heterocycles, such as epoxides, thiirane, aziridines, or 2H-azirines, are now treated with tricyanomethane, which is generated in situ by heating azidomethylidene-malonodinitrile in tetrahydrofuran at 45 °C or by adding sulfuric acid to potassium tricyanomethanide. This leads to ring expansion with formation of 2-(dicyanomethylidene)oxazolidine derivatives or creation of the corresponding thiazolidine, imidazolidine, or imidazoline compounds and opens up a new access to these push–pull-substituted olefinic products. The regio- and stereochemistry of the ring-enlargement processes are discussed, and the proposed reaction mechanisms were confirmed by using ¹⁵N-labeled substrates. It turns out that different mechanisms are operating; however, tricyanomethanide is always acting as a nitrogen-centered nucleophile, which is quite unusual if compared to other reactions of this species.     

Mechanism and Origin of Stereoselectivity in Chiral Phosphoric Acid-Catalyzed Aldol-Type Reactions of Azlactones with Vinyl Ethers

The precise mechanism of the chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed aldol-type reaction of azlactones with vinyl ethers was investigated. DFT calculations suggested that the reaction proceeds through a Conia-ene-type transition state consisting of the vinyl ether and the enol tautomer of the azlactone, in which the catalyst protonates the nitrogen atom of the azlactone to promote enol tautomerization. In addition, the phosphoryl oxygen of the catalyst interacts with the vinyl proton of the vinyl ether. The favorable transition structure features dicoordinating hydrogen bonds. However, these hydrogen bonds are not involved in the bond recombination sequence and hence the catalyst functions as a template for binding substrates. From the results of theoretical studies and experimental supports, the high enantioselectivity is induced by the steric repulsion between the azlactone substituent and the binaphthyl backbone of the catalyst under the catalyst template effect.     

Formation of BN Isosteres of Azo Dyes by Ring Expansion of Boroles with Azides

Herein, we present the results of our investigations on the effect of ortho substitution of aryl azides on the ring‐expansion reaction of boroles, five‐membered unsaturated boron heterocycles. These studies led to the isolation of the first 1,2‐azaborinine‐substituted azo dyes, which are bright yellow solids. One of the derivatives, (E)‐2‐mesityl‐1‐(mesityldiazenyl)‐3,4,5,6‐tetraphenyl‐1,2‐azaborinine, was found to be unstable in solution and to transform through a Jacobsen‐like reaction into an indazole and 1‐hydro‐1,2‐azaborinine. DFT calculations were performed to shed light on possible mechanisms to rationalize the unexpected azo‐azaborinine formation and to draw conclusions about the role played by the ortho substituents in the reaction.     

Silyldefluorination of Fluoroarenes by Concerted Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution

The reaction of readily generated silyl lithium reagents with various aryl fluorides to provide the corresponding aryl silanes is reported. DFT calculations reveal that the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the fluoride anion by the silyl lithium reagent proceeds through concerted ipso substitution. In contrast to the classical nucleophilic aromatic substitution, this concerted ionic silyldefluorination also occurs on more electron‐rich aryl fluorides.     

Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase Catalyzed Synthesis of Amino Acids by an MIO‐Cofactor Independent Pathway

Phenylalanine ammonia lyases (PALs) belong to a family of 4‐methylideneimidazole‐5‐one (MIO) cofactor dependent enzymes which are responsible for the conversion of L ‐phenylalanine into trans‐cinnamic acid in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Under conditions of high ammonia concentration, this deamination reaction is reversible and hence there is considerable interest in the development of PALs as biocatalysts for the enantioselective synthesis of non‐natural amino acids. Herein the discovery of a previously unobserved competing MIO‐independent reaction pathway, which proceeds in a non‐stereoselective manner and results in the generation of both L ‐ and D ‐phenylalanine derivatives, is described. The mechanism of the MIO‐independent pathway is explored through isotopic‐labeling studies and mutagenesis of key active‐site residues. The results obtained are consistent with amino acid deamination occurring by a stepwise E₁cB elimination mechanism.